Month: March 2016

Since natural products are such a draw for me, especially within the last few years trying to remove as many toxic things out of my lifestyle. A wooden watch seemed like the next good thing. First I started with food, and migrated to beauty products, then cleaning products and the journey continues on with clothing and fashion. What we wear can have an impact on our health just as food can. It can contain chemicals that could be absorbed through the skin, which is no bueno!! I will be the first to admit that I am no where perfect when it comes to having a closet full of organic, non-toxic, sustainable clothing and accessories. Guilty as charged! What I think counts is that i’m heading in that direction, as well as so many of you reading this, and that is what matters!

When Jord contacted me to review their beautiful wooden Cora watch, I was excited! I love that Jord values sustainability which is truly refreshing. When you go to their website and click on materials, it tells you the sustainability factor of each type of wood used to construct their collections, many are sustainable. They also let you know exactly where they source their wood. I did some research on the sustainability of the hawaiian Koa wood that is used to handcraft this beauty! According to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) redlist, it is one of the woods of least concern and considered sustainable! It was perfect for what I was looking for. Plus their are many styles of food bowls carved out of Koa wood and if its safe to eat out of, it’s safe to be in contact with your skin throughout the day!

When you flip the watch over, the back of it is made of a gorgeous sapphire glass so you can see the delicate workings of the mechanical pieces inside – it’s so mesmerizing. What makes sapphire glass even more incredible, is the fact that it is second only to diamonds as the hardest and most scratch resistant materials on earth. Such a unique feature! The wooden box that it came in is so lovely and a perfect place to store it in. It looks handmade and well crafted, just like the watch itself.

The first watch they sent had a tiny ding in the wood and even though it was very minor (I almost didn’t even mention it) they had me send it back. I was so impressed with their customer service and how quickly they replaced it with a brand new one! They wanted me to be completely happy with my watch. Their customer service is incredible and I was very satisfied with the care they took. I wear my watch almost everyday because wood goes with everything, just like bacon!

Do you miss the crunch of a hard shell taco but not the greasiness that usually follows? These Jicama street tacos have all the crunch minus the grease. When I’m doing a Whole30, I’ve got this meal on repeat because it doesn’t involve Paleo baking to achieve a tortilla, just a real, whole food, tortilla alternative…a thinly sliced jicama shell!

Sometimes you just get plain tired of lettuce tacos day in and day out, and this meal kicks it up a few notches so you don’t get bored too easily! It will keep you on track to complete the full 30 days of your whole30 challenge, I promise! A mandolin slicer will help you create perfectly thin round disks to use as the base for your tacos, I highly suggest you get one if you haven’t already! Just be sure to use a safety glove because those babies are sharp! It’s why they’re so effective ;)

So what is jicama you ask? It’s a tuberous root, sometimes referred to as a Mexican yam bean or Mexican turnip. Some of you may be thinking, well isn’t jicama a legume? And if so, why would that be Whole30 approved? To clear up any confusion, Melissa Hartwig, co-founder of the Whole30 program sheds some light on this matter as found HERE on the author of Well Fed, Melissa Joulwan’s website:

The potential downsides of legumes are all found in the seed. The anti-nutrients, inflammatory compounds, phytoestrogens (in the case of soy) and carbohydrate density (in the case of many legumes) are all packed into the seed.

When you eat jicama, you’re eating the root, which has none of the same issues as the seed. (As an aside, you’d never, ever eat the seed of a jicama – it’s actually quite toxic.) This is the same logic by which it’s okay to eat bean sprouts (the grassy part that grows out of the seed), but not the beans themselves.

You may be curious what jicama taste like, well it’s actually slightly sweet and tiny bit nutty in flavor. Sort of like an apple but with an even milder flavor. That’s why it’s a perfect flavor vehicle for food, it doesn’t overpower anything! It has a similar texture to a turnip and while it maybe referred to as a Mexican yam, it’s skin is not edible like a yam. The skin is thick, tough and will need to be removed before slicing. The best ones to buy are firm and round in shape. You’ll want those ones for this recipe!

The rest of the recipe is pretty simple, once you get past the peeling and slicing. I just used a clean packaged spicy sausage to create the main filling so it’s not too fussy. If you can’t find a clean spicy sausage, you can just buy original and make it hotter with some spices you already have in your pantry! My favorite part of this recipe is the dairy-free “sour cream” I love that tangy flavor mixed with the spicy heat of the sausage and salsa! I hope you love these cute little mini tacos as much as me and my family!